Leftovers from Q&A with ESPN's Paul Carcaterra

Edward Lee, The Baltimore Sun

ESPN analyst Paul Carcaterra participated in a Q&A on Monday. The former Syracuse All-American midfielder, who can be followed on Twitter via @paulcarcaterra, also addressed a few questions about No. 5 Maryland, No. 12 Johns Hopkins and No. 15 Loyola.

How worried should Maryland be after Saturday’s 10-8 loss to No. 4 North Carolina?

Not at all. I think Maryland has great senior leadership. I think they’re a team that has played in the last two national championship games. The cast of characters that played in those two games, many of them are still on this team. I think they’re a hungry team with seniors like the Bernhardt brothers. [Goalkeeper] Niko Amato is a redshirt junior, [attackman] Owen Blye is a senior. There are four-year guys like [attackman] Kevin Cooper that have been around for so long and have seen their seasons end on that Monday. I think they’re a dialed-in bunch of guys. They have a great coach in John Tillman who will keep them focused. And they play such a tough schedule that it’s not hard to grab your players’ attention when you play [No. 13] Virginia on Saturday and you play Hopkins in a few weeks and then the ACC tournament. There’s so much lacrosse left to be played. I think they can probably stay hungry and not have to worry about the distraction of going undefeated.

Would it be fair to say that the 15-8 victory over Virginia this past Saturday was a must-win game for Johns Hopkins?

Johns Hopkins plays a strong enough schedule that if they had lost to Virginia and then they beat Maryland down the road, North Carolina and Loyola, they were going to be a big-time player in the national championship race. But I thought based on where they’ve been the last few weeks, they needed that type of signature win. More than just getting a W on their schedule, it was to prove to themselves that they had what it takes to rebound after having their backs against the wall. So I think from an emotional and mental standpoint, they needed that win. I don’t think they needed that win in terms of a mathematical projection to getting to the playoffs because their schedule is so strong down the stretch.

Loyola coach Charley Toomey said he anticipates that his team will be healthy when they meet No. 8 Ohio State this Saturday. What is the Greyhounds’ potential if everyone is back?

I think Saturday is going to be a defining moment for the Greyhounds. They’re a team off of a national championship season that hasn’t been the hunted for so long. How they handle success down the stretch here and make another run for a national championship starts for them on Saturday. They play an Ohio State team that has had tremendous success. They’ve beaten [No. 17] Penn State, lost to [No. 2] Denver by a goal, and they have athletes and great goal scorers in Canadians Jesse King and Logan Schuss. [Senior] Dominique Alexander is a burner at the midfield that can play both ends – a lot like [Loyola senior short-stick defensive midfielder] Josh Hawkins. So I think this Ohio State game is a great measuring stick to see where Loyola is because Loyola still does not have that signature win on their schedule this season yet.